The Lohmöller–Wold decomposition of multi-way (three-way, four-way, etc.) data arrays is combined with the non-linear partial least squares (NIPALS) algorithms to provide multi-way solutions of principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares modelling in latent variables (PLS).
The decomposition of a multi-way array is developed as the product of a score vector and a loading array, where the score vectors have the same properties as those of ordinary two-way PCA and PLS. In image analysis, the array would instead be decomposed as the product of a loading vector and an image score matrix.
The resulting methods are equivalent to the method of unfolding a multi-way array to a two-way matrix followed by ordinary PCA or PLS analysis. This automatically proves the eigenvector and least squares properties of the multi-way PCA and PLS methods.
The methodology is presented; the algorithms are outlined and illustrated with a small chemical example.